Robotic self tapes
Lines arrive, panic sets in, and the work becomes delivered instead of discovered.
REC
The Real Problem
You are memorizing instead of preparing.
You are not losing jobs because you cannot act. You are losing them before you start, inside a rushed cycle of "my lines, my character" that makes self tapes feel controlled instead of alive.
Low callback ratio
Training is happening, auditions are happening, but the process is not generating consistent work.
No trusted process
You keep hoping it will click. The issue is not talent. It is preparation infrastructure.
Story First: 90 Day Private Coaching Intensive
Built like a system. Practiced like a craft.
Five pieces of the Story First intensive work together: the audition framework, the improv/script bridge, casting-room perspective, private coaching depth, and submission materials actors keep using after the 90 days.
You Get a System, Not a Session
Every competitor sells coaching by the hour. The Story First System gives you a repeatable, proprietary audition framework — the Story First methodology — that you own permanently and apply to every audition, every genre, every format, for the rest of your career. You're not renting coaching. You're building infrastructure.
Improvisation and Script Analysis Treated as One Discipline — Not Two
This is Will's core differentiator and it does not exist anywhere else at this level. After 15+ years of training at UCB, iOWest, Second City, Brave New Workshop, and Comedy Sportz across six cities, Will built a methodology that bridges improvisation and scripted work. Most coaches teach one or the other. Will proves they are the same thing — and that is what frees actors to be spontaneous on text.
Trained Inside Casting Director-Run Studios
Will didn't just take classes from casting directors — he was the guest instructor. Featured at BGB Studio working directly alongside Risa Bramon Garcia, Jami Rudofsky, Christy Faison, and Caroline Liem, Will understands what casting directors are actually looking for from inside the room, not outside it. That perspective is built into every session.
100% Private — You Are the Only Student
No group. No waiting for your turn. No generic notes. Every one of the 12 sessions is built entirely around your material, your casting type, your instincts, and your actual submissions. Competitors like Studio For Performing Arts use associate coaches at scale. You get Will, every session, every time.
Your Submission Arsenal Is Built Inside the Program
Most coaching programs prepare you to audition. Story First also prepares the industry to find you. Phase 2 is dedicated to building polished monologues, scenes, and reel footage matched to your specific character types — material that lives on Actors Access and Casting Networks long after the 90 days are over.
Why Will
Built from casting-room proximity and 15+ years of coaching.
Will has trained across UCB, iOWest, Second City, Brave New Workshop, Comedy Sportz, and more. He has taught inside casting director-run studios, including BGB Studio, working alongside respected casting voices and bringing that perspective directly into the Story First process.
This is not a one-off tuneup. It is a private framework actors can keep applying across auditions, genres, formats, and career stages.
Story First: 90 Day Private Coaching Intensive
You get a system, not a session.
Every competitor sells coaching by the hour. Story First gives actors a repeatable audition framework they own permanently, plus the private attention to build it around their material, casting type, and submissions.
100% private
No group, no waiting for your turn, no generic notes. You get Will every session.
Submission arsenal
Build polished monologues, scenes, and reel material for Actors Access and Casting Networks.
Between-session support
Unlimited self tape feedback, material notes, and accountability check-ins during the 90 days.
Recorded coaching
All Zoom sessions are recorded and shared so each actor can keep studying the work.
The 90 Day Journey
A clear 3 phase process.
Audition Architecture
Rebuild how you read and learn scripts using the Story First strategy and a repeatable process.
Build Your Submission Arsenal
Record polished monologues and scenes matched to character types, headshots, and casting targets.
Zoom Camera Technique
Put training into action through real submissions, callbacks, advanced character work, and review.
Will coaching Lilan Bowden (Shrinking, HBO; Andi Mack, Disney; NCIS, CBS)
What Is Included
A value over $5000 for only $1425.
The investment covers the full 90 day intensive at $475 per month. One professional booking can return the investment many times over.
12 weekly 60 minute Zoom sessions$2,400 value
Recorded sessions for personal study$300 value
Between-session coaching support$600 value
The complete Story First System$1,500 value
Personalized reel for Actors Access$500 value
Resources, e-books, and guides$200 value
Bonuses and Guarantee
Private support around the work, the room, and the career plan.
Home Studio Assessment
Virtual walkthrough of the self tape setup, lighting, backdrop, and professional presentation.
Audition Support
Free coaching on auditions received during the 90 day window, plus direct self tape feedback.
Career Strategy Session
A post-course planning call to organize materials, casting targets, and the next wave of submissions.
14 Day Guarantee
Try the work for 14 days. If it is not the right fit, the program is satisfaction guaranteed.
Limited Space
Only five actors accepted each month.
The intensive is intentionally capped so Will's time and the actor's work stay prioritized, personalized, and serious.
Full 90 day intensive
$1,425
A value over $5000 for only $1425 ($475 per month). Applications are reviewed for fit.
Apply TodayTestimonials
Presence, adaptability, and a sense of play.
"Will Doughty's OFF BOOK Workshop has been an inspiration both for me and my students. It combines the freedom and spontaneity of improv with detailed text work. Will is an amazing teacher - generous, wise, fun, and challenging in the best way. Every actor of all levels will get an enormous boost to their work from this class."
"Will Doughty is, quite simply, a great teacher and so much fun. He has found a way to help actors apply all the freedom and creativity in improvisation toward written material. It is the perfect marriage of text and imagination. Not only do I recommend it without hesitation, I also would happily work with him every day."
"Will teaches the most useful and bookable actor skill sets: presence, adaptability, and play."
FAQ
Common questions.
Intermediate actors, including adults, teens, and youth, who are actively auditioning but not booking
consistently.
The methodology treats improvisation and script analysis as one discipline, so scripted work can remain
spontaneous and specific.
No. The intensive is 100% private, and every session is built around the actor's material and goals.
A repeatable audition framework, recorded coaching, refined self tape technique, and polished submission
material.
No. The program serves SAG-AFTRA members, eligible actors, and non-union actors targeting stronger
professional work.
Application
Start the conversation.
No audition process. No group dynamic to hide in. This private intensive is designed for actors ready to stop dabbling and build a process they can trust.
What happens next
- 01Send your applicationTell us where your process feels stuck.
- 02Talk with WillA private conversation about fit and goals.
- 03Decide togetherIf it feels right, choose your start date.
12 private sessions
90 focused days
1:1 with Will
Investment
$1,425
A value over $5000 for only $1425 ($475 per month). You will receive next steps within a few days.
